Rail-clamp for traveling bridges



L. 1.. R088 AND R. M. BICKLEY. RAIL CLAMP FOR TRAVELING BRIDGE-S.

- APPLIQATIONVHLEDMAR.28.I919. 1,368,841

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Patented Feb. 15, 1921 L. 1. R088 AND R. M. BICKLEY.

RAIL CLAMP FOR TRAVELING BRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 28.1919.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- M v m WITNESSES INVENTORS 6. 3 M

a AWWQ W 9W3 Wwhw L; J. ROBB AND R. M. BICKLEY. RAIL CLAMP FOR TRAVELING BRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, M9.

INVENTORS 1. 3 Ram Q N QM LEWIS 3'. R033 AND noss ivr. BICKLEY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNsYLvA IA, ASSIGNQRS To HEYL & PATTERSON, rim, or PITTSBURGH, rENNsYLvANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-CLAMP FOR TRAVELING BRIDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filedMarch 28, 1919. Serial No. 285,755.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Lnwrs J. Bone and Ross M. BIOKLEY, both citizens of the Unlted States, both residents of Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have nvented a new and useful Improvement in Rall- Clamps for Traveling Bridges, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thls specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation showing a portion of a traveling bridge having our invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a pair of rail clamps embodying the invention, the section being taken on the line IIII of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the clampsupporting auxiliary truck.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing a portion of one of the clamps, and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Our invention has relation to rail clamping devices for traveling bridges; and is an improvement upon the clamp described and claimed in the patent to R. E. Brown and E. C. Gaines No. 1,153,672 of September 14:, 1915.

The object of our invention is to provide means of simple and effective character for carrying the clamps in such a manner that they are permitted to follow the irregularities of the rail and to maintain a definite relation to the rail at all times.

The nature of our invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which we have shown a preferred embodiment thereof and which will now be described, it being premised, how- 'ever, that various changescan be made in the details of construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings the numeral 2 designates the lower portion of one of the legs of a traveling bridge of well known character such, for instance, as that shown and described in the patent above referred to. This bridge is arranged to travel on track rails,

one of which is indicated at 3, being mounts ed on said rails upon main trucks, one of whlch is indicated at 4':- 5 designates a frame or strut which connects the lower portions of the two legs at each end of the bridge and upon which the rail clamp or clamps are mounted. But one pair of clamps is shown 1n the drawings, although the invention may be readily adapted to any desired number of clamps and may be used in connection with br dges mounted on either single or double rails. 6 designate the clamp members which are generally similar to those described in sa1d patent and which are arranged to be applled by the action of a weight and to be released by the operation of a motor, as in said patent. The motor is indicated at 7, being connected through suitable gearing 8 with a shaft 9, having thereon a drum 10 for the weight cable 11, and whose threaded end portion 12 engages the nut 13 to which are connected the bell-crank levers 14 which actuate the clamping members 6. l5 designates the weight mounted on vertical guides in a tower 16, which is arranged to be raised by the action of the motor 7 which revolves the shaft 9 and thereby winds the cable 11 on the drum 10.

In accordance with our present invention the clamping members 6 are mounted upon a small auxiliary truck 17 which is arranged to travel upon the track rail 3, being provided with wheels 18 which engage said rail, one at each side of the clamps.

This auxiliary truck carries the clamps through the medium of the spacing links 19 which connect the lower portions of the clamping members, the auxiliary truck frame being secured to said links as indicated at 20. The upper end portion of each clamping member where it engages its actuatingleveris formed with an elongated slot 21 which permits of sufiicient vertical movement to readily permit the auxiliary truck and clamps to follow the irregularities in the rail 3. 22 designates a guiding or steadying bar secured tothe auxiliary truck at 23 and which, at its upper end, has a slotted connection at 24 with a bracket 25 mounted on the frame or strut 5.

It will be readily seen that by means of the construction and arrangement described, the auxiliary truck 17 forms a floating support for the clamps whereby the latter maintain a definite relation to the rail 3 at all times, notwithstanding considerable, irregularities in the rail. While the links 19 can near the main trucks as possible in order to minimize the vertical movements due to rail irregularities. By our present invention this necessity is obviated and the clampscan be placed intermediate the main trucks, or at any desired point over the track rails.

The general mode of operation is preferably that described in the said patent 1,153,672, whereby the operation of setting and releasing the clamps is rendered automatic and a thoroughly efiicient and reliable clamping device is provided.

- We claim:

1. In a rail clamping device for traveling bridges, the combination of a bridge and its main supporting trucks, of a set of rail clamps, means for applying and releasing said clamps, and an auxiliary truck supporting the clamping members and adapted to travel on the rail with which the clamps en gage, said auxiliary truck being loosely mounted on the bridge frame and being independent of the main trucks of the bridge with respect to its ability to maintain the clamps in fixed relation to the rail, substantially as described.

2. In a rail clamping device for traveling bridges, the combination of main trucks for supporting the bridge, of a set of rail clamps adapted to engage a track'rail, and an auxiliary truck upon which the clamps are mounted and which is also adapted to travel on said rail, substantially as described.

3. In a rail clamping device for traveling bridges, the combination of a frame, an electric motor, a shaft driven thereby, weight applied clamping devices, actuating connections between said shafts and clamping devices, and a floating support for the clamping devices, substantially as described.

4. In a rail clamping device for traveling bridges, the combination of a frame, an electric motor, a shaft driven thereby, weight applied clamping devices, actuating connections between said shafts and clamping devices, and a floating support for the clamping devices, said support being adapted to travel on the rail which is engaged by the clamping devices, substantially as described.

5. In a rail clamping device for traveling bridges, the combination of a pair of clamping members, means for actuating the same, spacing links connecting said clamping members, and an auxiliary truck adapted to travel on the track rail engaged by the clamping members, said truck being secured to the said links and carrying and supporting the links and clamping members, sub

LEWIS J. ROBB. ROSS M. BICKLEY. 

